Royalty Tours USA

Saturday, April 24, 2010

2010 NFL Schedule & Draft Analysis

I've been extremely busy this past week tracking these events.

Stay tuned for a thorough breakdown of the NFL schedule and Draft.

I plan to do some creative analysis that will tie in with the royalty experience.

Please check back for these unique and different segments.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Special Guests See Royalty at Citi Field

Part of the royalty mentality when you go to see a game is you never know what you're going to see.

Every game is different. Some can be similar but they're never exactly the same.

Well the same can be said for the crowd.

On some days or nights, we see some familiar faces.

Last night was different.

We were sitting in our season seats in section 516 row 3 on the Promenade level behind home plate.

All of a sudden during the game we received a visit from a fellow Met fan who likes to follow our whereabouts.

His name is Cory Zimmerman. He was so excited to see us.

In addition, he introduced to a friend of his who was with him. His name was Dan.

Dan upon seeing our scorebooks was in awe of our accomplishments.

We briefly told him all the places we've been so far this season. He was amazed.

After gettting a sample of what royalty is about I think Dan will be seen at Citi Field again in the near future.

Dan told me he was from Virginia Beach, Virginia which is right by Norfolk.

Instantly I told him that's near where David Wright, the Mets third baseman is from.

I also mentioned that we've been to that area a few times as well.

That way it was easy to relate to Dan.

I look forward to seeing Cory and Dan at a future game so we can go more into depth about the life of royalty.

Thanks for stopping by.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Yankee Stadium-Home of Champions

Here we have Yankee Stadium, the new one which is located in the Bronx on 161th St. & River Ave.

It's the home of the 27 time World Champion New York Yankees.

It opened in April 2009. The first official game was played on April 16, 2009.

The Yankees played the Cleveland Indians that day.

Please check back for more details regarding the Stadium.

I plan to gradually give you different tidbits going forward.

The Royalty Experience

To get a taste of the royalty experience, I'm doing a series of features on the different places we have to offer to give you a feel for what to expect.

Stay tuned for the bits and pieces as we go in depth to give you a virtual reality of what going to a sporting event these days is all about around the country.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Court Deli Restaurant

Court Deli Restaurant
Corned Beef Sandwich 


If and when you decide to go to a Yankee game, part of the royalty experience is stopping here.

It's located at 96 East 161 St. just a few blocks from the Stadium right by the Courthouse and the Grand Concourse.

If you decide to go here please ask for Chris, the manager. Tell him you were referred by Royalty Tours so he can give you royal treatment.

You have the option of waiting to be seated.

If so, be prepared to have patience since the line is usually long but it does move quickly.

On the other hand, you can take out your meal if you prefer.

If you decide to take it out, you can bring it into the ballpark and eat it when you go to your seat.

I gave you your options, you make the call.

They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

They have a wide variety of choices to choose from.

For example, they make excellent sandwiches which include pickles and cole slaw. See picture above.

In addition, they have burgers and other entrees.

Their prices are very reasonable and a bargain compared to what the stadium has to offer.

When you go to the game you can save money outside on food and use that savings for souvenirs if you choose to buy them to serve as a memory of your visit to the stadium.

Royalty believes in supporting the local businesses located around Yankee Stadium.



Thursday, April 15, 2010

Jackie Robinson Day 4/15/10

Today marked the 63rd anniversary of Jackie Robinson being the first black player to play in Major League Baseball.

Every player in the major leagues wore his uniform number 42 in his honor.

Royalty was present for this special occasion.

It was a different experience tonight at the ballpark.

Being a person who scores the game it was a little difficult to know who everybody was until I heard the PA announcer say who they were.

In particular, the relief pitchers who came in to pitch from the bullpen.

The game ended when the real #42 Mariano Rivera came in to get the last out of the game to perserve the victory for the Bronx Bombers.

They beat the Angels, 6-2!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

2010 NFL Schedule is going to be released on Tuesday 4/20 7PM

Please see the link below regarding the announcement of the 2010 NFL schedule.

I consider myself the NFL king among the people I know that live in New York City.

I usually try and have seen 20 NFL games a year every year since 1998. In the process, I've been to every NFL gridiron as well that total stands at 52 and counting.

I hope this year's schedule is favorable to suit my needs.

 Being a big time Jet fan, I have very high expectations plus they open the New Meadowlands Stadium this season.

More importantly, I'm planning to analyze the schedule thoroughly so I can accomodate the needs and wants of people who want to get different venues across the country.

As part of the royal treatment that only Royalty Tours can provide, I'll be setting up sample itineraries that cater to your needs and wants.

Please check back regularly for updates.

Please feel free to give me feedback that will enable me to fulfill your specific needs and wants. 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d81786afc&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Aeros beat Thunder, 4-2!

After the Yankee home opener, the King and I went to Trenton, New Jersey.

Trenton is the home of the Eastern League Double A affiliate of the 2009 World Champion Yankees.

On this night they were playing the Akron Aeros, the farm team of the Cleveland Indians.

Just so you know, some current Yankees have come up through the ranks with pitstops in Trenton en route to the Bronx.

Those include Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ramiro Pena.

As for the game, this one was over early when Aeros' first baseman Beau Mills hit a home run with two aboard to put the Aeros up 3-0 in the top of the first inning.

The Thunder answered with a run in the bottom half but they couldn't overcome the initial deficit the rest of the game.

The Aeros held on for a 4-2 victory.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Yankees hold on to win Home Opener, 7-5!


Today was Opening Day in the Bronx against the Angels.
More importantly, it marked the official end of the 2009 campaign when the players were called out one by one in reverse uniform number order to receive their World Series Championship rings.

In addition, the Yankees showed a touch of class when they announced World Series MVP and now former Yankee Hideki Matsui to join the celebration.

He was greeted by his former teammates with open arms as he were still part of their current team.

The Yankee faithful also acknowledged by giving him an arousing ovation.

Shortly thereafter, it was back to business as usual on the field.

In true world class fashion, the ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by another modern Yankee legend, Bernie Williams number 51.

As for the game itself, Andy Pettitte pitched in and out of trouble during his 6 shutout innings.

The first run of the new season at the Stadium was provided by newly acquired and former Yankee Nick Johnson who was brought in to take Hideki Matsui's place.

He came through and he delivered a solo home run into the bleachers in right centerfield in the first inning.

In the third inning, Derek Jeter lead off with a solo blast of his own when he hit the ball into the right centerfield bullpen to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Jeter hit a grounder hard off Angels pitcher Ervin Santana's leg and the ball caromed towards the third baseman to plate another run with the bases loaded.

In the sixth inning, Alex Rodgriguez aka "A-Rod" came up big with 2 outs when he hit a ball that veered off third baseman Brandon Wood's outstretched glove that landed in short leftfield driving 2 more runs to make the score 5-0!

The Angels finally broke the shutout in the top of the eighth inning when first baseman Kendry Morales hit a 2 out solo home run to right.

In the bottom half of the eighth, the Yankees added 2 more runs that wound up becoming necessary as it turned out.

Heading to the ninth inning with an apparent comfortable 6 run lead, reliever David Robertson managed to record just one out.

In addition, he loaded the bases giving up three hits in the process.

After he got Erick Aybar looking at strike 3 for the first out, former Yankee Bobby Abreu came to the plate.

"El Como Dulce" sweet as candy as John Sterling, the Yankees radio announcer referred to him when he was a Yankee, delivered a grand slam to right center to unload the bases.

After stalling tactfully for time, Manager Joe Girardi summoned Mariano Rivera from the bullpen to try and secure the Yankee victory.

As usual, Mo mowed them down in a matter of seconds to record his third save of the season.

Andy Pettitte gained the win. It was the 230th of his illustruious career.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Bobcats spoil farewell, beat Nets 95-85!

It was a very sad night personally for me witnessing the last basketball game ever played at the IZOD Center.

That arena was like a second home for many winters over the last 20+ years.

The Nets who are finishing up a dreadful season fitting ending their era in the Meadowlands with a loss.

They started the game with a 6-0 lead but that was short lived.

They were down 28-20 after the first quarter. Terrance Williams aka "T-Will" beat the buzzer with a flying slam dunk.

The Bobcats extended their lead to 15 at the half, 59-44!

The Nets came out in the third quarter like a team possessed. They stormed right back.

With 3:11 left in the third quarter, they took a very brief lead at 74-73. The Bobcats in a matter of seconds regained the lead.

The Nets trailed 81-77 at the end of 3 quarters.

The Nets continued to let this one get away early in the fourth quarter hence they went on to lose again.

Stephen Jackson led 7 Bobcats in double figures with 17 points.

As for the Nets, Devin Harris was their high scorer with 22 points and "T-Will added 21 in the defeat.

Interesting note was that Larry Brown, the Bobcats head coach was also the Nets head coach in the first ever game played in that arena back on October 30, 1981.

This Week in the Life of Royalty

Tonight I'm on my way to say goodbye to the IZOD Center in the Meadowlands for the last sporting event it will host.

Bobcats at Nets 7:30PM

**I plan to do a separate post when I have some time to relive my Meadowlands Complex memories**

Tomorrow after I work a half a day I'm off to the Home Opener at Yankee Stadium.

Angels at Yankees 1:05PM

After the game, I'm getting treated to a "royal" ride from the King who rented a car for the week the other day.

I normally do the majority of the driving.

For a change, it will be nice to be a passenger.

We'll be heading down south to Trenton, New Jersey for a Double A minor league game.

Akron at Trenton 7:05PM

Wednesday I'm going home to rest up and do my laundry. If I have a chance I'll try to do some blogging. If not, I'll just recharge the batteries for the rest of the week ahead.

Thursday Angels at Yankees 7:05PM

Friday Rangers at Yankees 7:05PM

Saturday Rangers at Yankees 1:05PM

Marlins at Phillies 7:05PM

Please note this time I'm going to be back behind the wheel doing the driving.

Sunday Rangers at Yankees 1:05PM

Please feel free to check in for the recaps and reviews.

In addition, if you check out my blog regularly you'll notice I upgraded my blog list.

Feel free to click on the links to find out and educate yourself on some other people I've met and/or plan to meet down the road.

After all, living the life of royalty does have its privileges.

I'm kind enough to help spread the wealth and the love for sports travel and life in general.

Thanks for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Heat beat the Knicks, 111-98!

The Miami Heat came to the Garden and they put away the Knicks.

The Heat started slow, they fell behind the Knicks, 29-24 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, they caught up midway through then they added to their lead which was 55-47 at halftime.

Dwayne Wade their unrestricted superstar free agent took over. He put on a highlight reel sequence which included a monster alley oop slam dunk.

In the second half, the Heat maintained and added to their lead and cruised to an easy victory.

Thanks mostly to "DWade" as he is known the Heat had it made in the shade.

He lead all scorers with 32 points to go along with his 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Teammate Udonis Haslem poured in 14 points and took down 10 boards.

Center Jermaine O'Neal wasn't much of a factor due to being in foul trouble most of the game.

As for the Knicks, David Lee lead them with 26 points. Danilo Gallanari had 19. Newcomer and former Heat Earl Barron added 13 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the loss.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Nationals slam Mets, 5-2!

With Johan Santana, the Mets ace on the mound against former Met Livan Hernandez it seemed like the Mets were going to win on paper.

That's why they decide the game between the lines.

This game was over for all intent and purposes right in the first inning.

Nyjer Morgan lead off the game with a triple for the Nationals. It went downhill from that point on.

Yesterday's hero Willy Taveras followed with a base on balls putting runners on first and third.

After second baseman Cristian Guzman grounded out, the cleanup hitter, Adam Dunn walked as well to load the bases.

Former Marlin and notorious Met killer Josh Willingham came to the dish to get his shot at Santana.

He made the most of it by hitting an apparent home run that went over the orange line on the center field fence.

Last year it would have been a live ball.

For some unknown reason the umpires didn't rule it a home run right away.

After Nationals manager, Jim Riggleman came out to argue.

The four blind umpires huddled together and decided to go into the clubhouse to look at the replay.

Please note the replay rule went into effect last season.

After a few minutes they reappeared, after further review it was ruled a home run.

Since the bases were loaded, it was a Grand Slam. Just like that, the Mets were down 4 runs before they even had a chance to swing the bat.

Santana proceeded to get the next two Nats out to end the horrible top of the first inning.

In the third inning, Josh Willingham did more damage when he drove in a run with a double.

Livan Hernandez pitched 7 shutout innings allowing just 5 hits.

In the eighth inning, former Yankee Brian Bruney came on to pitch. With a man on who he walked and 2 outs, first baseman Mike Jacobs broke the the shutout when he blasted a 2 run home run off the facade of the Pepsi Porch which hangs over the field in right.

That's all the offense the Mets could muster against the Nats' bullpen.

Unlike yesterday, their closer Matt Capps came on and got the Mets 1,2,3 in the ninth to earn his 3rd save and second in as many days.

The only exciting part of this game was early when Mr. Met, the team mascot, came into our section and he started throwing t-shirts into the stands as you can see in the picture above.

The Mets after a dreadful 2-4 homestand, go on the road to play the Colorado Rockies in Denver and then they head to St. Louis, the Gateway to the West before they return home on Monday, April 19 when they host the Chicago Cubs.

This has the potential to be a rough week.

Hopefully the change of scenery doew them some good.

Fisher Cats beat the Rock Cats, 5-3!

After the matinee at Citi Field, Royalty decided to hit the road to head to the farm Saturday night.

We took a 100 mile ride to New Britain, Connecticut which is about 10 miles south of Hartford.

We saw an Eastern League Double A minor league baseball game between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats who are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays and the New Britain Rock Cats are the Minnesota Twins farm club.

It should be noted that New Britain has been a stepping stone for many major leaguers who have played and still play for the Twins.

Most notably catcher Joe Mauer who just signed an 8 year extension worth $184 million dollars with the Twins.

Other players of note who also played there are former Twin and current Red Sox David Ortiz aka "Big Papi" and current Twin centerfielder Denard Span who recently inked a 5 year extension as well.

The Twins have been known over the last decade or two for having a tremendous farm system.

Over the years from going to New Britain, we've seen many rising stars perform.

As for the 2010 edition, last night was just the second game of the season since they were rained out Friday afternoon when the King who rented a car for the week drove himself there to see the tarp and game wasn't played.

After dropping the home opener Thursday night to the Fisher Cats, the Rock Cats as they are called were looking for their first win of the season.

As for the game, it didn't start well for the Rock Cats who fell behind early allowing three first inning runs.
Mike McCardell who was the starting pitcher for the Rock Cats dug an early grave for himself.

He walked the first two batters he faced. His shortstop made an error behind him which plated the first run of the game. Regardless the run would have scored but an out wasn't recorded that helped prolong the inning.
To add insult to injury, he proceeded to throw a wild pitch that was followed by a 2 run scoring double by left fielder Eric Thames.

Designated hitter Adam Calderone delivered a single to center but Eric Thames was thrown out at the plate for the second out.

He retired the next batter to end the inning.

In the second inning, leadoff hitter first baseman Chris Parmalee of the Rock Cats hit a long home run to right field to get them on the scoreboard, 3-1.

The Rock Cats added a run in the 6th inning to slice the deficit to one at 3-2.

The Fisher Cats answered right back in the top of the seventh when they got a few more walks and an error but a runner was once again thrown out trying to score.

However third baseman Brad Emaus came through with a 2 run home run to left center that provided the insurance that the Fisher Cats needed to win the game.

The Rock Cats received a bases loaded walk in their half of the seventh inning to add another run to make it 5-3 but that's the way it remained.

The Rock Cats are now O-2.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Special Guests I met at Citi Field 4/10

Ruben, Jeremy and Evan Brot
Today I received an unexpected treat when I was watching the Mets play the Nationals from my season seats in section 516 row 3.

I actually decided to sit in row 4 since there were a few empty seats.

After a few innings, I heard some people behind me talking about the game and baseball in general.

I decided to chime in with them. They were seated in row 5.

I wound up enjoying their company for the remainder of the game.

I took their picture as you can see above.

They were young kids all of the tender age of 16. I started to feel ancient and old.

I started thinking about what I was doing when I was their age back in 1984.

From left to right in the picture, there's Ruben, who said his mother works at Citi Field, followed by Jeremy in the middle and last but not least on the far right with the sunglasses on is Evan Brot.

Evan wound up playing the speed text game that they have between innings early in the game.

He responded the fastest to the question so he was the winner.

As a result, they showed him on the diamond vision scoreboard in centerfield. He won a limited edition pennant of Johan Santana.

I look forward to seeing these young kids at a future Met game.

Thanks to them, the Met loss was easier to swallow.

After all, it's about the experience. By going to the game, I was able to meet them.
With that being said, I'm very grateful for the opportunity.

Like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it.

Who will I unexpectedly meet in the future?

Time will tell.

Feel free to check in and see. Hey it could be you.

Nationals walk off with a win, 4-3!

In the second game of the 3 game set at Citi Field, the Washington Nationals held on to beat the Mets on scarf day and the day Jose Reyes returned to the Met lineup.

It started in similar fashion to last night's game.

This time Willy Taveras tripled in two runs to give the Nats the early lead 2-0 in the top of the second inning.

The Mets again came right back. This time they even the score at 2 in the second inning.

Thanks to a sacrifice fly to center by backup catcher Henry Blanco who made his first start of the season.

Oliver Perez, the Mets starter, helped himself with a big 2 out hit that tied the game.

In the fourth inning, Willy Taveras came through again. He delivered a 2 run single to give the Nats a 4-2 lead.

In the fifth inning, the Mets got within a run when Fernando Tatis for the second game in a row produced a clutch 2 out hit.

The score remained that way as Tyler Clippard, a former Yankee farmhand, was summoned from the bullpen.

He came on to replace starter, John Lannan, who's from Long Beach on Long Island, a notorious Met killer on the mound.

As for Clippard, he dominated in the 3 innings he worked. He allowed one hit and he struck out 7 batters in the process.

In the ninth inning, newly signed free agent closer & former Pirate Matt Capps was brought on to shut the door.

Capps was less than stellar in his inning of work. He did manage to barely survive as Willie Harris made a game saving catch to end the game.

Hence the Nationals walked away with the curly W and Capps got credit for a save with a very subpar performance.

Tomorrow the Mets hope to get back on the winning track when they sent their ace Johan Santana to the hill to face former Met Livan Hernandez in the rubber match.

Mets overpower Nationals, 8-2!

It took 4 games at Citi Field but the Mets finally found a way to get the power switch on.

The Nationals got on the scoreboard first when shortstop Ian Desmond tripled in a pair of runs in the second inning.

The Mets proceeded to score the rest of the runs for the night.

This is how they did it:

Jeff Francoeur hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the second inning.

Rod Barajas lead off the fourth inning with a solo blast of his own to tie the game at 2.

In addition, Rod "raised the bar" again when he repeated the feat in the sixth to give the Mets a 3-2 lead.

In the seventh inning, another rare occurence took place when pinch hitter Fernando Tatis laced a single to left to drive in another run with 2 out no less. The Mets got a clutch hit. It was about time.

Jeff Francoeur who batted next delivered as well. He added another 2 run blast to give the Mets a 6-2 advantage.

In the eighth inning, shortstop Ruben Tejada got his first major league hit. He singled up the middle to centerfield.

Later in the inning, Alex Cora and David Wright delivered run scoring singles to round out the scoring.

Mike Pelfrey who started for the Mets pitched a solid 6 innings earning a quality start and his first victory of the young season.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Spending the Weekend at Citi Field

I'm on my way to Citi Field now.

The Washington Nationals make their first of 3 visits.

Tonight at 7:10PM

Post Game Meal at Donovan's Pub in Woodside.

I can't wait to have a pair of Pork Chops they only serve them on Fridays.

See previous post for the picture of them. It will make you salivate.

Tomorrow and Sunday afternoon at 1:10PM.

Tomorrow night we're off to a minor league baseball game in New Britain, Connecticut.

That game starts at 6:35PM.

Sunday night I'll be at the Knick game against Dwayne Wade and the Heat at 6PM as well.

Check back for the recaps and the wrap up of the weekend festivities.

Tired of reading about, do something about it.

Phone lines are ringing off the hook.

Calls will be answered in the order they are received.

Hope to speak you shortly.

Have a nice weekend.

Yours truly,

Prince Charming

Marlins silence Mets, 3-1!

The Florida Marlins came to Citi Field and took 2 out of 3 from the Mets.

On Opening Day, the Mets won with some timely hitting and plenty of charity from the Marlins who threw the ball all over the infield.

In game 2, the Marlins used their power to build the lead with 3 long balls. Their pitchers tried their best to give away the game but in the end they found a way to win.

Last night despite a quality start by the Mets' Jonathon Niese, the Marlins out hit the Mets.

They had 4 doubles against Niese. 2 of them were of the run scoring variety.

The RBI leader at Citi Field in its brief existence, Jorge Cantu delivered the game winning double in the 5th inning.

That occured after the Mets' Jeff Francoeur had tied the game in the 4th with a double of his own.

In the 6th inning, first baseman Gaby Sanchez added insurance when he doubled in a run to make it 3-1.

That's the way it remained thanks to great relief pitching by the Marlins bullpen.

In particular, Blake Badenhop who was stellar tossing 3 innings of one hit ball.

Their closer Leo Nunez who picked up the win in relief Tuesday night notched his first save of the season throwing a 1,2,3 ninth inning.

As for the Mets, their offense was non-existent.

Partly because of the Marlins pitching but I hope they find to get their bats going otherwise it's going to be a very long season.

I know it's early but it's gets late fast.

I know they're missing key players such as Jose Reyes who may be returning this weekend as well as Carlos Beltran who's out probably until May.

Based on what I've seen in the 3 games so far, things don't look that promising but I do hope I'm wrong.

Time will tell. We'll just have to wait and see.

The Nationals make their first of three visits to Citi Field starting tonight.

I'll be there for all three so feel free to check back for the recaps and reviews of these games.

I hope everybody who's following along has a great weekend.

If you happen to be going to Citi Field this weekend or in the future, please feel free to visit me while you're there.

I sit in section 516 row 3. It's just slightly to the left of home plate, it's one of the best views in the ballpark if you're looking to watch the game.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Taste of Dolly's Pizza & Restaurant

Taste of Dolly's
Here's a great place to eat before a visit to Citi Field.

It's conveniently located by the 111th St. stop off the 7 train.

You can eat and hop back on the train and go one more stop to Citi Field or you can take the short walk instead.

They have good pizza and great deals too.

2 regular slices and a drink for $5.60.

You can bring company and enjoy a large pie with a 1.5 liter bottle of soda for $13.95.

In addition, they offer burgers, chicken and other Latin dishes as well.

The King and I and our friend Frank are waiting for our fresh pie to come out now.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Marlins outlast Mets in 10, 7-6!

Neither the Mets nor the Marlins will be undefeated this year.

The Marlins got their first win of the young season despite blowing a 5 run lead in the process.

The Marlins came out with their hitting shoes on against John Maine who struggled to get through 5 innings.
The fighting fish were aided by the long ball.

Jorge Cantu blasted a solo homer to left center off Maine in the third inning.

In the fifth inning, Hanley Ramirez took Maine deep to right center with another solo bomb.

In the seventh inning, Dan Uggla added a solo shot off Met reliever Sean Green to give the Marlins a 6-1 advantage.

Marlins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco silenced the Mets bats for the first 6 innings allowing just 3 hits.
In the seventh inning, he started to get tired. He wound up walking 2 batters. He managed to get 2 outs in the frame but he got the hook.

The Mets chipped away at the Marlin lead thanks to more poor pitching from their bullpen.

After 7 innings, the Mets got within 3 at 6-3. They had a golden opportunity to possibly take the lead when Jose Veras, a former Yankee I might add was summoned from the pen.

He came in to face David Wright the hero from Opening Day. He threw one pitch that glanced off catcher Jon Baker's glove. It went towards the backstop. Fernando Tatis, the base runner at third tried to score but he was gunned down when John Baker fired a dart to Jose Veras who applied the tag to kill the rally.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Mets finally were able to tie the game at 6 thanks to the Marlins charity.

The Marlins walked in a run, an error plated another and they eventually wound up getting the tying run on a balk.

The Mets were unable to get a clutch hit to take the lead.

After a scoreless ninth inning, the game would go to extra innings.

Unfortunately for the Mets, it didn't take long for the Marlins to break the tie.

It started with a lead off hit by Wes Helms, a late innings replacement.

He was bunted over to second.

With one out, Ronny Paulino pinch hit and delivered a single up the middle which turned out to be the game winning hit to give the Marlins a 7-6 victory.

The Mets went down 1,2,3 in the bottom of the tenth.

This marathon lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes.

The two teams meet again tonight in the rubber match.

I'll be there so feel free to check back to see how it turned out.

Thanks for reading and following my whereabouts.

Hope some of you will come for a ride some day.

If you're interested, please feel free to contact me so I can help make it happen.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Boston Market

Boston Market
Here is one of my favorite pregame places to stop for an inexpensive quality homestyle meal.

This location is conveniently located at 50th Street and Queens Blvd.

When I come from my office in Midtown Manhattan I take the N or Q train to Queensboro Plaza. I go right across the platform to pick up the 7 local train in rush hour. I take it 4 stops to the 52nd Street stop.

I go out to the street and walk back to 2 blocks.

I got out of work at 5:30PM. At 6PM I was in Boston Market ordering my gourmet dinner.

This is not your typical fast food restaurant. In my book, it's a cut above.

You can get a quality meal for a reasonable price. Please ask for Ninfa, the store manager before you place your order. Tell her I sent you. She'll make sure you get VIP treatment.

They have a variety of items to choose from.

Here are some of my personal favorites:

A half chicken preferably white meat.

8 ounce turkey which is carved white meat with gravy.

Chicken Pot Pie works when I don't want to eat a lot.

They also serve meatloaf it that suits you.

In addition, they offer a great selection of side items.

They are as follows:
Mashed Potatoes with gravy
New Potatoes (the red ones)
Macaroni & Cheese
Corn
Creamed Spinach
String Beans
Stuffing
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmellows
Mixed Steamed Vegetables

As you can tell, you can't go wrong eating here.

Take my sound advice and see for yourself if you haven't been there before.

Here's the link: http://www.bostonmarket.com/

That's the way Royalty rolls all spring & summer long on the way to see the Mets play at Citi Field during the week M-F.

Talk to me if you need my assistance.

I'm always willing, able and ready to help but you need to contact me so I can make it happen for YOU!

Citi Field Bound Now

I'm on my way to see the Mets play the Marlins.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10PM.

Check back for the recap.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Knicks beat Celtics, 104-101!

On the night Nate Robinson returned to the other Garden where was a fan favorite, he wasn't much of a factor.

He wound up with only 5 points.

His former team, the Knicks shined bright without him.

The Knicks played very well. They lead for the majority of the game.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Celtics had taken a few brief leads.

Most Knick fans were thinking here we go again. So close yet so far.

With 36.8 seconds to go in the game, Danilo Gallanari hit am apparent 3 pointer off the glass to give the Knicks the lead again at 103-101 as the crowd erupted.

After a timeout was taken by the Celtics, the officials looked at the replay and it was determined that the basket was a 2 point field goal not a 3 like previously ruled.

The score was changed to 102-101 as a result.

The Knicks proceeded to stop the Celtics on their next possession.

The Knicks got a huge bucket from David Lee with just 7.3 seconds remaining to seal the deal.

In a last ditch effort, Rasheed Wallace missed a 3 point attempt at the buzzer.

If he had made it, I don't know think it would have counted because it came a split second too late.

The Knicks were led by Danilo Gallanari who had 31 points.

Earl Barron, a 7 footer, who was signed to a 10 day contract the other day was impressive as well. He scored 17 points and pulled down 18 rebounds.

David Lee added 13 points and reeled in 11 boards.

For the Celtics, Ray Allen lead them with 17 points in the defeat.

Knicks and Celtics Coming Up

Nate Robinson returns to the Garden tonight.

Check back for my recap.

The Prince is making his way into the building now.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Mets squish the fish, 7-1!

At least for one day everything is Wright with the Mets.

Johan Santana got the nod as the ace of the staff on Opening Day at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

Santana pitched well he allowed only one run and four hits over 6 solid innings of work.

He was supported early by David Wright who hit an opposite field home run down the right field line in the first inning to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead. He tucked it right inside the foul pole under the Pepsi Porch which overhangs over the field.

The score stayed that way until Marlins' third baseman Jorge Cantu ripped a double to left to get the fish on the board and it cut the deficit in half to 2-1.

Santana got out of further trouble in the sixth inning which wound up being his last inning of work.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, new Met Jason Bay lead off with a triple to left centerfield. He scored on a sacrafice fly ball by Jeff Francoeur which made it 3-1. Another new Met, catcher Rod Barajas doubled in a run. Angel Pagan who pinch hit for Santana drove a run scoring single to right center to make it 5-1. Alex Cora added a ground out to short that plated another run.

In addition, the Marlins made a comedy of errors by throwing the ball around the infield in that inning. In all, they made 3 errors. They looked and played awful in the field. They look more like a little league team trying to find their way.

The Mets took advantage of the Marlins' charity.

Jeff Francoeur rounded out the scoring with a double in the 7th inning.

Francisco Rodriguez aka K-Rod finished the game by getting the Marlins out in the 9th inning 1,2,3 to secure the victory for the Amazins'.

Red Sox Spank the Yanks, 9-7!


The calendar said it was April 4th. Mother nature made it feel like July 4th and the streets after the game felt like November 4th.

Yes indeed baseball is back!

The first official pitch delivered by Josh Beckett to Derek Jeter came at 8:10PM Eastern Time as shown in the picture.

Derek Jeter proceeded to ground out to shortstop Marco Scutaro to start the game and the season.

In matter of fact, Josh Beckett retired the first 3 batters he faced in 3 minutes.

I turned to the King and said that was aberration.

I wish I was joking but as usual I was proven right.

The game didn't end until 11:56PM. Do the math that's 3 hours and 46 minutes.

I always count on a game these days to go 3 hours. They could have spare us the 46 minutes.

After all, it was the World Champion Yankees and the rival Boston Red Sox playing.

The ace pitchers were on the mound at least to start the game. That is CC Sabathia for the Yankees and Josh Beckett for the Red Sox.

Neither lasted as long as I had hoped they would.

Josh Beckett couldn't even finish 5 innings. He wound up doing 4 and 2/3's.
He got lit up for 5 runs before he departed.

Jorge Posada got the season's first run when he hit a home run off the screen that's attached to the Pesky pole in rightfield for a solo shot.

Newly acquired Yankee and former Tiger Curtis Granderson followed with a bomb of a home run that went into the bleachers over the bullpen in right centerfield in his first official Yankee at bat.

The Yankees added some clutch 2 out hits to score a few other runs.

In addition, Brett Gardner stole home to fill out Josh Beckett's lousy line.

CC Sabathia was pitching okay until the 5th inning when he started to struggle partly because of home plate umpire Joe West who was awful calling balls & strikes all night for both teams.

Sabathia got through the 5th then genius manager Joe Girardi stayed with him too long in the 6th inning allowing the Red Sox to tie the game at 5. The Yankees had lead in the game 5-1 with their ace on the mound.

Once the bullpen came in for both teams the game went from bad to worse.

The Yankees wound up regaining the lead 7-5.

The Red Sox did however fight back again and eventually took the lead thanks to a double off the Green Monster by Kevin Youkilis to give them a 8-7 lead in the bottom of the 7th inning.

They tacked on an insurance run in the 8th as well.

Jonathon Papelbon came on to close the door when he got Curtis Granderson to ground out to third. Granderson did represent the tying run.

It's only the first game but it spoke volumes for what lies ahead for this season and future seasons.

When I grew up watching baseball your ace pitcher was an ace. He finished what he started most of the time or least half of the time.

Nowadays if a pitcher lasts 6 innings in a game it's an accomplishment.

It's unfortunately sad but true. The more they make, they less they do.

I wish that were true in the real world which most of us live in.

I hope this was just a rotten apple if you will.

Nothing beats a rare feeling. That's when the starting pitcher goes the distance and controls his fate as far as winning or losing his own game.

Other interesting notes to mention as part of the Opening Night festivities were the following:

Former Red Sox Pedro Martinez was on hand to throw out the first pitch.

Needless to say, he received an arousing ovation from the Red Sox faithful.

During the 7th inning stretch, Boston native Steven Tyler lead singer of the Rock band, Aerosmith sung God Bless America.

In the 8th inning, Neil Diamond was brought out onto the field to do a live version of his song Sweet Caroline which has became a fan favorite at Fenway the last 4 or 5 years.

Don't get me wrong I'm happy baseball's back.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Nets Sting Hornets, 115-87!

The New Jersey Nets are on a roll now.

They won another game tonight. Amazingly enough they won relatively easily.

They were up 6, 30-24 after the first quarter.

At the halftime, they led by a dozen, 59-47.

After the third quarter, they add to the lead by one, 84-71.

In the fourth quarter, they pulled away for good.

It was a total team effort. They were led by "CDR" Chris Douglas-Roberts who had the same amount of points as his uniform number. That being 17.

In addition, rookie Terrance Williams "T-Will" added 14 points and he also dished out 14 assists.
They led the way as the Nets had 7 guys score in double figures.

For the Hornets, David West led all scorers with 25 points.

Star point guard Chris Paul wasn't really a factor.

Royalty and company enjoyed the festivities in the night cap of the double header.

Phillies hold off Pirates, 4-3!

Royalty went to Citizens Bank Park to tune up for the official start of the 2010 season.

We saw the last exhibition game between the 2009 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Both teams used almost all their players in this game in preparation for the season that starts Monday for most teams.

The Phillies did all their damage on offense mainly with their starters in the first 4 innings.

They scored all their runs and hits during that time.

Jayson Werth hit the lone home run in the game for the Phillies.

As for the Pirates, they wrapped up a dreadful spring.

They fought to the end but fell a run short. They had the tying run on 3rd base with 2 outs in the 9th inning but first basemen Steve Pearce got called on strikes after hitting numerous foul balls to end the game.

We had a few friends/royalty regulars join us for the trek to the City of Brotherly Love.

We had Bryan Gilligan and Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich.

Bryan joined the King and I at the baseball game while Rich went to the Philadelphia 76er game against the Toronto Raptors instead.

Rich wound up seeing a good one. He said the Raptors blew a 17 point lead early in that game. In the end, Chris Bosh missed the last shot in regulation. The Raptors did eventually survive and they won in OT, 128-123!

In addition, we saw some familar faces at the ballpark as well.

First we saw our buddy, Jim Lowry who took us up on the elevator. Jim and I exchanged goodies that were had for each other.

Secondly, when we were exiting the right field gate we got to say a quick hello and goodbye to our lady friend, Lisa Wilson who's a supervisor at the that gate. She always so happy to see us. She knows we're real fans and we usually bring the Phillies luck.

We bought $10 tickets when we got to the ballpark.

When we told Lisa that she said and I quote "somebody gave me 5 tickets I wish I would have knew I would have gave them to you guys".

In this day and age, thoughtful and caring people are hard to find but royalty has the knack to find them.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Blackhawks beat Devils in shootout, 2-1!

The Blackhawks came back to tie the game with 26 seconds left in regulation when Kris Versteeg got one past Devils goaltender, Martin Brodeur.

It was a fluke goal that appeared to hit off a Devil skate in front.

The game wound up being decided in a shootout. Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks scored the lone goal to give his team the victory.

Ilka Kovalchuk scored the only Devil goal of the night just 5:49 into the first period.

It was his 40th goal of the season.

This game was played without a single penalty being called all night.

I don't remember ever seeing that happen in all the hockey games I've seen over the years.

I like to think it's a very rare occurence.

As far as I'm concerned, it was a historical game.

It's Baseball Season!

Here's the weekend game plan:

Tomorrow Pirates at Phillies 1:05PM

It's an exhibition game to get us back in the swing of things.

Back to the hardwood at night when we drive back up to the IZOD Center.

Hornets at Nets 7:30PM

Easter we'll be spending in Beantown with a severe case of baseball fever.

You can see my recent post for more details.

Yankees at Red Sox 8:05PM

A great way to start another season.

Fenway Park in prime time!

Put me in coach, I'm ready to play.

It's going to be a blast.

Check back for the recap of the festivities.

Hope you enjoy the weekend and the holiday if you celebrate.

Thanks for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Easter Sunday Night at Fenway Park

Winter is over and spring is upon us so is the official start of another baseball season.

Ironically 11 years ago to the day back on Easter Sunday April 4, 1999, Royalty opened the baseball season in similar fashion.

That was a historic night when Major League Baseball decided to open the season in another country.

Once Royalty got wind of it, we decided we'll be there as well.

The game was played in Monterrey, Mexico. The Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres were the teams involved. It was the first National game of the season.

The Padres were designated the home team. I went through the Padres to get tickets for this particular special event.

The late Darryl Kile pitched for the Rockies that night and he beat the Padres, 8-2!

The next day we flew back to Dallas in the morning so we could be at the Texas Rangers home opener against the Detroit Tigers at 1:05PM that afternoon in Arlington.

This was the first American game of the season as well.

The highlight was the very first pitch that Ranger's pitcher Rick Helling threw to Tiger's lead off hitter Juan Encarnacion who give it a long ride over the fence for a home run. It was an absolute "bomb" if you will.

With all that being said, the stage is now set for a similar scenario.

Royalty will be in the house this Sunday night when the defending World Champion New York Yankees play their arch rival, the Boston Red Sox in the first American League game of the season.

It will be a festive atomosphere. It always is when these two teams meet up.

The last time we were in Fenway Park was on New Year's Day for the Winter Classic hockey game.

Monday morning I'll be going to work for a half a day before I make my way out to Citi Field for the first National League game of the season.

The New York Mets open up against the Florida Marlins at 1:05PM.

Being a Met fan, I hope that the first pitch Johan Santana throws doesn't go over the fence.
But if it does, wow what a feeling that will be. Deja vu all over again as Yogi Berra would say.

Just another memorable few days in the making for Royalty.

I figured I would share this unique opportunity with you.

It's going to be a fun baseball season.

Check back often for updates on the whereabouts of royalty.

My goal is to give you reason to maximize your opportunities to
get the best out of life.

It works for me, why not make it work for you.

Nothing is better to tell somebody "I was there."

Happy Easter to all who celebrate.